Category: S

A patch of hard skin or hard mucous membrane. A hardened patch of skin or mucous membrane, consisting of granulation tissue. Indurated, circumscribed area of granulation tissue in the mucous membrane or skin. The process of tissue becoming hard, thick, or firm.  

Inflammation of the white (sclera) of the eye. Symptoms can include severe eye pain, red discoloration, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, excessive tearing, or rarely, a protrusion of the eyeball. Fifty percent of patients with scleritis have an associated systemic disease frequently an autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or inflammatory bowel disease. Less…

A large contact lens which covers most of the front of the eye. A contact lens which covers the exposed portion of the sclera, in addition to covering the cornea (also called a haptic lens).  

Referring to the sclera. White surface layer of the eye.  

An opening in something or a splitting of something. A cleft or splitting, such as the splitting of the tip of a hair or the splitting open of tissues when a hernia forms.  

An instrument for cutting, made of two blades and two handles fastened together. A cutting instrument composed of two opposed cutting blades with handles, held together by a central pin. This allows the cutting edge to be opened and closed.  

A condition in which someone walks with one leg crossing over the other, usually as a result of spasticity of the leg’s adductor muscles. Malformed legs, where one leg is permanently crossed over in front of the other. A disability in which one leg becomes permanently crossed over the other as a result of spasticity…

A hard malignant tumour, especially in the breast. A hard, cancerous tumor caused by an overgrowth of fibrous tissue. A firm cancer, commonly found in the breast and occasionally in the intestine.  

A scintigram which shows the variations in radiation from one part of the body to another. A map of the distribution in the body, or in a particular body part, of a radioactive compound (radiopharmaceutical) given previously; the emitted rays are printed on photographic film. The use of scintiphotography to create a map of scintillations…

A substance which produces a flash of light when struck by radiation. A substance that produces a fluorescent flash when struck by high-energy radiation, such as beta or gamma rays. In medicine the most commonly used scintillator is a crystal of thallium-activated sodium iodide. The fluorescence, magnified by a phototube multiplier, may be recorded photographically…